Five Reasons for Using Soil Testing

Whether your farm is large or small, you may want to consider soil testing. In addition to helping you maximise your profits, it can help you save crops before they fail.

You're about to buy new land

Soil testing before buying new land prevents you from investing in a chemical nightmare. If you fail to soil test, you may purchase land that requires cleaning, which increases your purchasing costs. Similarly, you need to determine whether the land you're purchasing is fit for its purpose. For example, if you want to grow strawberries, you'll need soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Not knowing the pH in advance could lead to a pointless purchase.

Your crops are failing and you don't know why

In the United States, 39% of crops that fail do so because of the soil. Factors such as weather and the activities of surrounding buildings can cause changes to your soil. Without soil testing, you can't identify what these changes are, which means you can't address them.

You want to try a new crop

Whether you're new to planting or you're experienced, you should already know that the soil affects what you can plant. When your plants and crops draw nutrients to thrive, they get a lot of them from the soil below. The soil creates an environment in which they either thrive or flop. Identifying your soil's features gives you an idea of whether your efforts will produce great results, allowing you to make a sound investment.

You want to increase your profits

Even when your crops are in place, testing periodically allows you to maximise profits. Why? Because the results may indicate that you're at an optimum nutrient level, which means you don't need to use as much fertiliser. When you don't use as much fertiliser, you spend less money on producing high yields.

You want to measure your fertiliser's progress

Switching fertilisers is a brave move, so you don't want to go in blind and risk ruining your crops. When you use a fertiliser that affects your soil's pH level, or if an event such as heavy rainfall affects the pH level, you may need to switch to another one to maximise your yields. With the wrong pH, your crops won't absorb as many nutrients, especially the all-important phosphate, which regulates how your plants grow. Testing your soil after using a new fertiliser or after an event that could alter your present brand's efficiency will help you identify potential problems before they arise.

About Me

Hello, my name is Mike, but my friends call me 'Sheet Metal Mike'. This might seem like a strange nick-name but in reality, it makes complete sense. You see, a few years ago, I went to visit my brother's industrial factory which is located just off the 902 on the way to Sydney. I was supposed to be there to catch up with my brother but, to be honest, I spent more time watching and chatting with the chaps working in his factory. I loved the way they worked with the sheet metal and I decided this was a skill I wanted to learn myself. Since then, I have been working hard to master the skills required in my own little DIY industrial shed. I hope you find my blog useful.